Tag Archives: Chaplain-Post 79

Chaplain’s Corner

When our faith stands at the grave,
grieving for a stone that’s rolled away,
forgive us.

When our faith is short of understanding
though the truth is there to see,
forgive us.

When our faith, beset by doubt, sees no further
than an empty tomb today,
forgive us.

Bring to mind the cry of Mary,
‘I have seen the Lord!’
and grant us faith to believe!

Chaplain’s Corner

What a delight it is each year to welcome the newness and freshness of springtime. Wherever you live, whatever the climate, spring is a reminder that resurrection is possible, and renewal is wonderful. It’s enough to make a person want to pray. And what better prayers can we offer at this time of year than a springtime prayer such as the following:

 A Hymn of John Newton

Lord, afford a spring to me,
Let me feel like what I see;
Speak, and by your gracious voice,
Make my drooping soul rejoice.

On your garden deign to smile,
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon your presence will restore
Life to what seemed dead before.

(Adapted from A Hymn for Spring by John Newton)
 

Whether you welcome this new season with the above, or pen a paean of praise that is all your own, may a new season of prayer blossom in your heart and life. 

Chaplain’s Corner

AMVETS CHAPLAIN AMVETS Post 79

Larry Williamson

Climate Control October 2014

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way … Into Christ. Ephesians 4:15
The dew of the morning turns hazardous in the fall. Every morning you check for frost. The marigolds, petunias, and rudbeckia are ablaze with color. A single dose of frost can undo their joy. Tomatoes and peppers still grow on the vine, but you check the forecast every day to decide when to reap the fruit. Chrysanthemums and snapdragons can stand some cold, and Swiss chard will stay sweet until Thanksgiving, but the first frost signals that a greater freeze is coming. Warm truth is refreshing. Cold truth kills. Warm words produce flowers and fruit. Cold words damage what good the warmth has done. A tender Christian can be harmed irreparably by cold correction and criticism. Even mature, toughened Christians can lose their fruit to the frosty atmosphere of gossip and quarreling. We cannot control the climate outside, but we must keep our church warm. By love and the words we whisper we can keep the thermostat of our church in the comfort zone.